Friday, July 18, 2008
Hey everyone,
This is your concerned eco-angel Ivan here, and today I shall introduce the intruging concept of Algae blooms and explain how it affects the enviroment. So fasten your seat-belts and get ready for the eco-adventure of your life.
So the question ringing deep inside your head probably goes somewhere along the lines of "What exactly is an algae bloom?" Simply put, an algae bloom is the rapid expansion in the population of algae in an aquatic system. This is commonly recognised by the quick discoloration of the water, because of the high density of these plants.
Well, what causes these algae blooms then? They don't just magically appear do they? Truth is, we cause them. Yes, you heard it right. These blooms are no natural phenomenon, but instead are man-made problems caused my our very own kind.
Phosphorus and Nitrogen are two substances commonly used in fertiliers. When these excess nutrients seep into the soil, they often leak into the surrounding water bodies. This may sound mild at first , but the over-saturation of nutrients effectively immersely speeds up the rate of growth of the minute water plants.
Therefore, an algae layer covering the water surface is formed. This prevents sunlight from reaching the depths of the pond/ river, and effectively reduces the level of oxygen by slowing down the rate of photosynthesis. In addition, the increase in the number of plants also means more food for bacteria and therefore their numbers will increase drastically.
This two factors combined, constitutes a significate increase in carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, Which traps sunlight and heats up the earth, contributing to climate change.
Environmentalist Blogged:10:12 PM
